The Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece
ESAG
(french: École Suisse d'Archéologie en Grèce; german: Schweizer Archäologische Schule in Griechenland; it, Scuola Elvetica d'Archeologia in Grecia; el, Ελβετική Αρχαιολογική Σχολή στην Ελλάδα) is one of the foreign archaeological institutes operating in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. Since 1964, the Swiss archaeologists have been excavating the remains of the ancient site of

Eretria Eretria (; el, Ερέτρια, , grc, Ἐρέτρια, , literally 'city of the rowers') is a town in Euboea, Greece, facing the coast of Attica across the narrow South Euboean Gulf. It was an important Greek polis in the 6th and 5th centur ...

(

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

), a medium-sized city which has extensively contributed to the development and the influence of the Greek civilisation. Hosted in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

by the

University of Lausanne The University of Lausanne (UNIL; french: links=no, Université de Lausanne) in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second oldest in Switzer ...

, the Swiss School has its head office in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, in an Art Nouveau building at Odos Skaramanga 4B. The school has also offices in a 19th-century neoclassical house in

, Odos Apostoli 15.

History

Swiss archaeologists started to work in

in April 1964, but the Greek Archaeological Council had already accepted the principle of Swiss participation in the excavation and study of the ruins of

in 1962. Vasilis Petrakos, who was then the epimelete in charge of Eretria, had drawn the attention of the Greek archaeological authorities to the threat to Eretria's ancient remains posed by the development of the small modern town. In fact, no other foreign archaeological team had been involved in studying the site since 1895, when the

American School of Classical Studies at Athens , native_name_lang = Greek , image = American School of Classical Studies at Athens.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption = The ASCSA main building as seen from Mount Lykavittos , latin_name = , other_name = , former_name = , mo ...

completed its work. In 1975, after the end of the rule of the

military junta A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...

(1967–1974), the Swiss Mission requested and received the title, habitual in Greece, of "School of Archaeology". The activities of the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece in Eretria are multiple: they include the exploration of the city's past by the excavation of its ruins, the study of the material discovered, the publication of research, the preservation of archaeological remains in the field and in the Museum, and their development and presentation to the public.

A few milestones

The forty years of Swiss archaeological excavations in

(1964–2004) can be divided into three phases. The first phase, which extends from the beginning until 1982, is that of the great discoveries: the rich necropolis from the

Geometric Period Geometric art is a phase of Greek art, characterized largely by geometric motifs in vase painting, that flourished towards the end of the Greek Dark Ages, . Its center was in Athens, and from there the style spread among the trading cities of th ...

( Heroon), the structures predating the temple of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

Daphnephoros uncovered under the foundations of the 6th century BC temple, and the sumptuous dwellings of the Classical-

Hellenistic Period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in 3 ...

, including th
House of the Mosaics
The second phase, from 1982 to 1995, is that of consolidation, research on the material excavated, and finally a more moderate extension of the terrain (the West Quarter, the North Gymnasium, the acropolis, the Sacrificial area north of the Sanctuary of Apollo). The third phase (1996–2009) is marked by a new spurt of excavation activity with the exploration of a sector located not far from the House of the Mosaics, which led to the discovery of the Industrial Quarter as well as remains going back to the second millennium BC.

Funding research

During the first eighteen years of its existence (1964–1982), the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece, relied on the

Swiss National Science Foundation The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, German: ''Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung'', SNF; French: ''Fonds national suisse de la recherche scientifique'', FNS; Italian: ''Fondo nazionale svizzero ...

SNF)
as the sole source of financial support for its activities. Created in 1983, the "Foundation of the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece" assumed responsibility for high-level administration and for seeking indispensable financial income from various donors: patrons, foundations, industries and companies, Swiss universities, and the Swiss Academy of Human and Social Sciences

The

UNIL)
which has served as the Foundation's headquarters in

since 1982, plays a crucial role in its organization.

Research and training

Thanks to the excavations it has conducted and the research it has organized -from the study of the data gathered in the field to their publication- the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece provides a valuable framework for cultural exchange: many professors, doctoral candidates, advanced students, and interns from Swiss universities have in fact taken part in the activities of the School and in the study of

's past. It is clear that much remains to be discovered. Only a tiny part of ancient Eretria has been excavated, while the materials deposited in the Museum and the documentation of older excavations have not yet yielded all the information they hold. In the years to come, we hope to learn more about the beginnings of the city and about the occupation of the territory, to cite only a few of the research projects underway. All the projects are subject to the authorization of th
Greek government's Ministry of Culture
and the provision of advance notice to the Ephorate of Euboean Antiquities, which is also responsible for overseeing the activities.

Restoration, preservation, and publications

The School has conceived, financed and carried out the expansion of th

as well as the construction of a pavilion to protect and display the mosaics of th

(1987–1991). It preserves and maintains the archaeological remains it excavates. It has proposed various projects for the preservation and presentation of th

The results of its investigations are published annually in the Swiss journa
Antike Kunst
and summaries appear in the serie

(20 volumes published to date). Eretria has continued to provide numerous subjects for articles, books and university dissertations.

Archaeology and modern urban development

From the outset, the School has taken an interest in the origins of the modern town of

. In 1974‒75, a team from the

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

drew up a map showing numerou
19th-century houses
and proposed that they be preserved. A project was submitted to municipal and governmental authorities, and then presented in two exhibitions, one in Eretria, the other in

. The creation of an archaeological zone in the region between the Temple of

Daphnephoros and the House of the Mosaics, which constituted an important part of the 1975 project, has sporadically inspired interest. In 1998, the Swiss School gave a new impulse to studies on modern and contemporary Eretria that led to the publication of a book. In terms of specific accomplishments, the School has restored a 19th-century house that belonged to Admiral Nikodimos, one of the heroes of the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

, and also established its headquarters in Eretria.

Publications

- I Paul Auberson
Temple d'Apollon Daphnéphoros. Architecture.
- II Ingrid R. Metzger
Die hellenistische Keramik in Eretria.
- III Claude Bérard
L'Hérôon à la Porte de l'Ouest.
- IV Clemens Krause
Das Westtor. Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen 1964-1968.
- V André Hurst, Jean-Paul Descoeudres, Paul Auberson,
Ombres de l'Eubée?; Die vorklassische Keramik aus dem Gebiet des Westtores; Le temple de Dionysos.
- VI Jean-Paul Descoeudres, Christiane Dunant, Ingrid R. Metzger, Claude Bérard
Euboeans in Australia; Stèles funéraires; Gefässe mit Palmetten-Lotus Dekor; Die Funde aus den Pyrai; Topographie et urbanisme de l'Erétrie archaïque: l'Hérôon.
- VII Ingrid R. Metzger
Das Thesmophorion von Eretria. Funde und Befunde eines Heiligtums.
- VIII Pierre Ducrey, Ingrid R. Metzger, Karl Reber
Le Quartier de la Maison aux mosaïques.
- IX Kristine Gex
Rotfigurige und weissgrundige Keramik.
- X Karl Reber
Die klassischen und hellenistischen Wohnhäuser im Westquartier.
- XI Denis Knoepfler
Décrets érétriens de proxénie et de citoyenneté.
- XII Nina Mekacher, Marek Palaczyk
Matrizengeformte hellenistische Terrakotten; Esther Schönenberger, Amphorenstempel. Grabungen 1964-2001.
- XIII Elena Mango
Das Gymnasion.
- XIV Sandrine Huber
L'Aire sacrificielle au nord du Sanctuaire d'Apollon Daphnéphoros. Un rituel des époques géométrique et archaïque.
- XV Ferdinand Pajor
Eretria - Nea Psara. Eine klassizistische Stadtanlage über der antiken Polis.
- XVI Stephan G. Schmid
Boire pour Apollon. Céramique hellénistique et banquets dans le Sanctuaire d'Apollon Daphnéphoros.
- XVII Béatrice Blandin
Les pratiques funéraires d'époque géométrique à Erétrie. Espace des vivants, demeures des morts.
- XVIII Hans Peter Isler, with a contribution by Elisa Ferroni
Das Theater.
- XIX Caroline Huguenot
La Tombe aux Erotes et la Tombe d'Amarynthos. Architecture funéraire et présence macédonienne en Grèce centrale.
- XX Samuel Verdan, Anne Kenzelmann Pfyffer, Claude Léderrey
Céramique géométrique d'Erétrie.
- XXI Sylvian Fachard
La défense du territoire. Etude de la chôra érétrienne et de ses fortifications.
- XXII Samuel Verdan
Le Sanctuaire d’Apollon Daphnéphoros à l’époque géométrique.

Eretria. A Guide to the Ancient City.
Image:Eretria_guide.jpg, Eretria. A guide to the ancient city Image:EretriaXV_couv.gif, Eretria XV

Bibliography

*E. Korka et al. (eds.): Foreign Archaeological Schools in Greece, 160 Years, Athens, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, 2006, p. 96-101.

External links

* Th
Swiss School website
includes detailed information on the ongoing archaeological projects at Eretria. {{DEFAULTSORT:Swiss School Of Archaeology In Greece Archaeological research institutes Foreign Archaeological Institutes in Greece Classical educational institutes Art Nouveau architecture in Greece Art Nouveau educational buildings